Spring-Air Co. v. Ragains’s Empirical Analysis
1951
Citation profile
2 federal appellate ·
Relationships
Relies on Great Atlantic & Pacific Tea Co. v. Supermarket Equipment Corp. · Cuno Engineering Corporation v. Automatic Devices Corporation · Lincoln Engineering Co of Illinois v. Stewart-Warner Corporation · Atlantio Works v. Brady Brady · Sinclair & Carroll Co. v. Interchemical Corp.
Most-quoted passages
The sentences later courts lift from this opinion, ranked by how many decisions quote each — the parts of the opinion doing the work. These counts are smaller than the citation total above because most of the 9 citing decisions cite the case generally; a passage count includes only decisions quoting that exact language verbatim.
““A device or structure, to be patentable, must be more than new and useful; it must satisfy the requirements of invention or discovery and must represent more ingenuity than the work of a mechanic skilled in the art. (Authorities cited.) An extended application of prior-art teachings, mere perfection of workmanship, a change only in size, form, strength, proportions, degree, or the substitution of equivalents doing substantially the same thing by substantially the same means, does not amount to patentable invention. (Authorities cited.) In Sinclair & Carroll Co. Inc., v. Interchemical Corporation, 325 U.S. 327, 330 , 65 S.Ct. 1143 , 1145, 89 L.Ed. 1644 , the court said: ‘A long line of cases has held it to be an essential requirement for the validity of a patent that the subject-matter display “invention”, “more ingenuity * * * than the work of a mechanic skilled in the art.” * * * This test is often difficult to apply; but its purpose is clear. Under this test, some substantial innovation is necessary, an innovation for which society is truly indebted to the efforts of the patentee.’ ””
1 later decision quote this exact passage · from the majority
How this case has been treated — in progress
Whether each later court followed, distinguished, criticized, or overruled this decision. The treatment classification (task #35) runs highest-cited cases first and lights up here as it reaches this one.